Daily Check-In 01/04/2019

noneofthisisnormal Daily Check-In January 7, 2019

Friday, January 4, 2019 and the weekend.

THE RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION

Grand Jury Extended

Mueller grand jury gets 6 month extension
Katelyn Polantz: NEW IN THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION: The chief judge of the DC District Court has extended the term of the grand jury used by Mueller for indictments. They were set to expire Jan. 6. Now could sit for up to 6 more months.

This grand jury was impaneled back in July 2017, and was approaching the 18 month limit. They can be extended for 6 months. This jury will likely continue until July 2019.

Whelan

There’s something beyond fishy with Paul Whelan. The U.S. wouldn’t send him in to Russia to spy without some type of cover, and picking a man who was dishonorably discharged from the Marines for breaking crimes of trust.

There’s two interesting theories I’ve heard. The first is that Whelan was picked up by the Russians because he’s one of their spies and went off the reservation. The second is he was arrested for trade bait. Not Butina, but the next guy.

Nevidomy

Vladimir Nevidomy ties to Trump’s Florida towers, which are used to launder Russian money and serve as a location for Russian Anchor Babies. He could take down the whole operation.

House

Remember, Adam Schiff has access to the really good stuff.

COHEN, NEW YORK, AND THE OTHER LAWSUITS

It looks like Burke was busted on an extortion racket. He refused to let a Burger King restaurant get a building permit for a remodel unless they hired his law offices to do their taxes. He was caught in a sting when he said this on the phone, into a wiretap. During the raid on his offices, it’s almost a certainty that the Feds also found stuff about Trump’s taxes.

SHUTDOWN

TRUMP THE RUSSIAN ASSET A.K.A. INDIVIDUAL-1

A Different Kind of Emergency

If only the Republicans cared about our country sliding into a dictatorship as much as they do about a young woman of color dancing or another dropping the F-bomb, then I might not be so mad all the time.

Of course, there is no legal basis for this move. I’ll have more about that tomorrow.

Russian Talking Points

TRAITOR TOTS

FIGHTING BACK

Mother Fucker

Rick Wilson

1/ In the midst of something close to 2000 emails along the lines of “Suck it, looser” and “I’m going to kill you” there have been a few heartfelt messages expressing hurt over my “ten tooth” line. Allow me to make a few observations about this current moment.

2/ Obviously, not all Trump supporters are ten-toothed rubes, but I’d bet you a hundred quatloos research would prove all ten-toothed rubes are Trump supporters. But that’s not really the point, is it? The point is that Trump’s base proudly endorses the most lavish cruelty.

3/ They adopt this language and attitude of unearned swagger and strength, of “fuck your feelings” and imitation of Trump’s own cruelty, vulgarity, unjustified chest-thumping. Trumpism isn’t, for the 1000th time, conservatism. It’s a parasitic infection feeding on hatred.

4/ The reaction to my throwaway line was a sign of 2 things; the unbelievable political and status insecurity of the Trump voter. They were offended by the dental comment, but they should have been offended by the “rube” comment. Because *I* didn’t make them rubes. Trump did.

5/ Do you want a participation trophy and a pat on the head from me for your utterly credulous dumbassery over Trump’s endless list of lies, deceptions, scams, venality, and corruption? I thought unearned merit was what you hated about the *left*.

6/ The story of the reaction is also a window into the dumbfuckery of the Trump-right outrage machine. It’s is the perfect mirror image of the dumb language-and-tone policing of the worst cliches of the social justice crowd. It’s failbot Alinsky for dumbasses.

7/ I’m not going to coddle and cosset people who are proud of being conned, or who embrace cruelty as governance. I was told the new order was all about “fuck your feelings” but apparently MAGA feefees are so delicate a bald dude with big ears and glasses can trigger you.

8/ Social and status insecurity is the key underpinning of racially inflected nationalism that Trump and Russia (but I repeat myself) weaponized. You don’t like someone who pokes it? You don’t like someone who calls your shit? I am not your safe space.

Impeachment Argument

The unrelenting chaos that President Trump creates can sometimes obscure the big picture. But the big picture is simple: The United States has never had a president as demonstrably unfit for the office.

Trump’s high crimes and misdemeanors can be separated into four categories. And this list is conservative. It does not include the possibility that his campaign coordinated strategy with Russia, nor his lazy approach to the job, like his refusal to read briefing books.

This list instead focuses on demonstrable ways that Trump has broken the law or violated his oath. ONE: Trump has used the presidency for personal enrichment. TWO: He has violated campaign finance law. THREE: He has obstructed justice. FOUR: He has subverted democracy.

For the country’s sake, there is only one acceptable outcome, just as there was after Americans realized in 1974 that a criminal was occupying the Oval Office. The president must go.

Achieving this outcome won’t be easy. And it should not involve a Democratic House quickly impeaching him — which would actually be a favor to Trump. But achieving his removal from office is more plausible than many people seem to realize.

Pelosi

RIGHT WING TERRORISM & WHITE NATIONALISM

SCOTUS & COURTS

#METOO & WOMEN’S RIGHTS

IMMIGRATION

COLD WAR 2.0

Germany Hacked by GRU

NASA Visit DENIED

#NEVERAGAIN

FIXING THE INTERNET

THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE

WHITE HOUSE CHAOS

TRADE WAR AND ECONOMY

GOP: THE PARTY OF LINCOLN IS DEAD

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

PRIESTS & RELIGION

ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE

CONGRESS

THE ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ SHOW

THINKING AHEAD

Warren

Just, Don’t

Electoral College

Two years ago, the Arizona House of Representatives voted to eliminate the Electoral College.

It’s a great idea.

Long overdue.

The House passed a bill that would have given all of Arizona’s 11 electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote no matter who wins the in-state vote. Both Democrats and Republicans voted for it.

Twelve states already have passed similar laws, with a combined number of 165 electoral votes. When enough states pass such bills to equal 270 electoral votes it would guarantee that the popular vote winner would win the presidency.

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

IN OTHER NEWS…

Super Dave Osborne and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Actor, Bob Einstein, Dies At 76

RUMOR MILL

That’s it for the last few days.

Something I need to get better at is curating how many stories I include, especially on the weekend. It’s not like it was super, duper, crazy, but I need to stop grabbing each and every headline. It takes hours to organize all of this.

I expect to talk about gun rights a little bit tomorrow. There was a rally in Pittsburgh where a bunch of open carry enthusiasts (read: white guys from outside the city with small penises and who are generally afraid of minorities) protested downtown because the city proposed banning assault weapons from inside city limits, as well as allowing the police to seize firearms from someone if people go to the cops and report that person as a danger to themselves or others. You know, like a responsible society would do.

Thank you, and have a good one.

“Without Journalists, it’s just propaganda.”

– Katy Tur

Published by noneofthisisnormal

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Published January 7, 2019

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